Giants continue unbeaten run, win Group A of cup

Photo: William Cherry

Belfast Giants followed up their Champions Hockey League overtime win with a league victory over Fife Flyers at the SSE Arena on Friday evening. 

A four-goal first period haul had the hosts in complete control. Ara Nazarian, Matt McLeod, Sean Norris and Daniel Tedesco all found the back of Shane Owen's net side the opening 10 minutes to put the home side in a commanding position. 

They were pegged back by Teemu Pulkkinen at 28:40, only for Ben Lake to restore the Giants' four-goal advantage with 5:30 left in period two. 

Mark Cooper's powerplay goal with 50:39 on the board looked to have sealed a big win for the home side, but they hadn't counted on a late Flyers rally. Colin Shirley scored just 12 seconds later, followed by James Spence and Lucas Chiodo beating Jackson Whistle ten seconds apart. Kohei Sato finished into the empty net with six seconds remaining to add more gloss to the final scoreline. 

The result means the Giants have won Challenge Cup Group A with a game to spare, while the Flyers have completed their round robin games and finish with six points.